Photo Courtesy of Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office
Kathleen Corradi is the City’s first-ever “rat czar.”
By Michael V. Cusenza
Mayor Eric Adams recently appointed Kathleen Corradi as the City’s first-ever citywide director of rodent mitigation, also known as the “rat czar.”
In this newly created role, Corradi will coordinate across city government agencies, community organizations, and the private sector to reduce the rat population in New York City – building a cleaner, more welcoming city and tackling a major quality-of-life and health issue.
According to the administration, as the citywide director of rodent mitigation, Corradi will lead and implement a unified strategy to reduce rats in neighborhoods across New York’s five boroughs, with a focus on innovative ways to cut off rats’ food sources, as well as through testing and deploying new technologies to detect and exterminate rat populations. Corradi will play a vital role in developing and executing the city’s rat mitigation efforts, harnessing both the expertise and operational capacity of several city agencies including the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks), the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), the New York City Department of Education (DOE), the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY), and the New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS), in addition to different private sector partners.
According to Adams administration officials, Corradi began her career as an elementary teacher in Central Brooklyn and program lead at Brooklyn Botanic Garden. At the DOE’s Office of Sustainability, Corradi developed New York City’s Zero Waste Schools program, the nation’s largest zero waste program that reached over 350,000 students, and led the agency’s rodent reduction efforts, coordinating and implementing pest mitigation plans across nearly 120 public schools that led to 70 percent compliance on the Neighborhood Rodent Reduction taskforce. Most recently she has served as DOE’s Queens Director of Space Planning, managing $500 million in capital development funds to optimize New York City public schools’ building utilization and ensure fair distribution of resources.
The Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City also recently received a generous donation of over 1,000 Tomcat rodent control products, including 100 bait stations, 1,000 rat snap traps, and refillable bait for use in NYCHA, NYC Parks, and DOE gardens for use.
“We appreciate the opportunity to support New York City’s mitigation efforts,” said Jodi Lee, vice president of controls, Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, which owns Tomcat. “Rodent control starts with preventive measures, such as removing access to water and food sources, and includes proven rodent control products for challenging settings. Tomcat’s solutions are an effective tool in the fight to stem rodent infestations.”
“New York City has done a lot recently when it comes to fighting public enemy number one: rats. But it was clear we needed someone solely focused on leading our rat reduction efforts across all five boroughs, and today I’m proud to announce Kathy Corradi as New York City’s first-ever ‘rat czar,’” said Adams. “Kathy has the knowledge, drive, experience, and energy to send rats packing and create a cleaner, more welcoming city for all New Yorkers.”
